It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of a special wolf that many of us “knew.” On November 15, Mexican Gray Wolf M740 passed away. His necropsy revealed that he lived with an undetectable and rare chronic bloat condition.
M740 was nine years old and has called the Wolf Conservation Center home since his transfer from the Brookfield Zoo three years ago. He was paired with Mexican wolf F810 for his first two years until last year when members of the Mexican Wolf Species Survival Plan discovered that he and Mexican wolf F749 had the lowest inbreeding coefficient in the program. An introduction was in order. The pair didn’t realize this, but scientists all over North America were crossing their fingers that M740 and F749 would prove fruitful.
Like most of our Mexican wolves, the pair resided off-exhibit in a natural environment where these most elusive creatures can reside with minimal human contact. In the spirit of George Orwell’s “1984,” WCC makes use of live WildEarthTV webcams to observe food and water intake and monitor the physical well-being of each wolf without the animals’ knowledge. By inviting the public to join, we allow them to learn about these beautiful creatures they might otherwise never see. Mexican wolves M740 and F749 were the most popular pair via webcam. Watchers were treated to witnessing their courtship develop, F749′s belly swell beyond what seemed physically possible, and then WCC staff members give the thumbs up on camera one morning in May after discovering the pair’s robust litter of newborns.
Our hearts go out to his mate and those of you who this wolf had unknowingly touched.
RIP M740.
It is so sad that such beautiful creatures have to live hiding and watching for humans, in my opinion, all living wild creatures wouldn’t have to suffer just because we don’t respect them and usually protect them when its just too late.
We need to develop that respect from early years and the best way is through school years, we need to taught compassion, respect for any creature in this world, we have taken away their territory and the less we could do is protect them all….
RIP, prayers to your mate.
I loved watching the pair and am so sad to hear about this loss, at this time I have no words to say other then a sadness covers my heart, I feel like I lost a brother that I never got to meet, may his offsprings live long and healthy lives,
I am very sorry to hear about M740. I have been following these wolves with you and for those of you personally close to this wolf I am very sorry.
Such sad news…So sorry to all of you and especially to his mate :(
RIP M740. You brought us so much joy in watching and learning from you and you be greatly missed. Your memory will live on forever in those who knew and admired you.
My heart just crashed into a million pieces. I had adopted M740 and F749 when she was pregnant. What will become of her now, will she be mated with another? Can you tell me what he died of? He was so precious and I was so looking forward to them breeding again and this time hopefully the pups would live.
Mary
Hi Mary,
So sorry. M740 died of bloat or “Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus” (“GDV”). His necropsy revealed that he;s been living with a chronic small version of bloat for most of his life, and this is very rare. I have yet to announce this publicly but F749 will be paired with a wolf she previously lived with, M804, and they will be giving the opportunity to breed. Thank you for the note and support. Maggie
I am so deeply sad for your loss,,,,my thought’s & prayers go to all of you and his mate
How sad..I adopted him too. What a beautiful wolf!
RIP. I am so sorry to hear of his passing. My condolences to his mate. This really saddens me. Hopefully his mate will share love with another and be happy again. Now M740 will no longer be in pain from his undetected condition. God Bless the Wolves! Such beautiful creatures……
so very sad to here such news—–again I must say though this is just another example of why we should leave the animals alone in the wild——a zoo is not the place for such creatures nor any other for that matter——I hope the keepers allowed them to go about as much as possible as they would in the wild but to enclose this animal in a small area only proves its not right ———my heart goes out to the mate and the pups———–Tom
Hi Tom, Actually, the WCC is not a zoo. While we agree that the wild is where wolves belong, M740 was lucky to live off-exhibit in a natural environment sheltered from our visitors. Their enclosure is about 2 acres and wild with vegetation so if the pair didn’t want to be seen, they could easily hide from our curator (the only staff member that visits our endangered species facility daily to check fencelines and waters). The pair was fed whole carcass deer so they got to experience everything their wild brother and sisters do with the exception of the chase and kill itself. That’s not to say thse wolves do not hunt, we just don’t provide live prey. Often animals will make a poor career choice and choose to visit the wolves. This pair had killed vultures and rabbits on their own. So while our hearts ache with the passing of this lobo, be assured that he lived a good life during his tenure at the WCC. Maggie
I am sorry to hear about the loss of such a beautiful creature. My heart goes out to all of you that were a part of his life. He lives on through his offspring. May his spirit forever roam free.